Commercial Real Estate News You'll Talk About at Cocktail Parties

September 01, 2011

Penton Shakes Up NREI, Moves Mag to New York

ATLANTA (Sept. 1, 2011) - Penton Media, which operates some of the country's top commercial real estate trade publications, is shaking up its real estate group.

Penton has hired long-time trade publisher Jonathan Schein, a founder of GlobeSt.com and former CEO of Real Estate Media (Real Estate Forum), to be practice leader of its Commercial Real Estate Media Group. David Bodamer, who had been editor of Retail Traffic, will become editorial director of the group.

The mass e-mail to readers, however, buried the lede. Here it is: Matt Valley, long-term editor of National Real Estate Investor, will be out of a job Sept. 15. Plus, NREI will leave metro Atlanta after a long stint here. (In photo at left, Matt addresses a crowd at the 2010 NAREE convention in Austin, Texas.)

A good friend of mine, Matt has worked at Penton and its litany of predecessors for 16 years. When Penton predecessor Primedia/Intertec moved Matt from Chicago to Atlanta to be editor of Shopping Center World (now Retail Traffic), he arrived several months before his family. He is a very dedicated editor who made NREI the great magazine it is.

If anyone is looking for a great communicator/writer with an expertise in commercial real estate, contact Matt.

Meanwhile, here's the official word from Penton.

The last few years have been transformative for both commercial real estate and the world of business-to-business media. The Great Recession and the credit crunch have changed the economic conditions and the continued emergence of digital tools and technology have altered how we do business and cover the industry on a daily basis.

These new times call for fresh strategies. And today we’re proud to announce the first steps in a new stage forNational Real Estate Investor and Retail Traffic that will position the brands for continued growth and prosperity.

In that vein, Jonathan A. Schein has joined Penton Media as practice leader of Penton’s Commercial Real Estate Media Group. Jonathan has been CEO of Schein Media and was the founder of Globest.com and Real Share Conferences, and CEO of Real Estate Media.

Working with Schein will be Marianne Rivera, publisher of National Real Estate Investor, and David Bodamer, who is being promoted to the position of editorial director for Penton Commercial Real Estate. Schein will report to William C. O’Conor, Penton’s market leader for financial services.

Together, we will move to quickly transform the Commercial Real Estate Group to a multifaceted 21st century media platform.

We’re proud of the history, tradition and quality of Penton’s Commercial Real Estate titles. National Real Estate Investor has a track record that stretches back more than 50 years. National Real Estate Investor,nreionline.com, and its suite of digital products remains a leading commercial real estate media brand where all disciplines of commercial real estate meet (multi-housing, retail, industrial, office and hospitality). Retail Traffic is wrapping up its 35th year of publication and its suite of digital and print products includingretailtrafficmag.com will continue to focus on retail real estate trends.

Today marks the first step in building on these legacies and upping our game to a new level in being the leader in the commercial real estate space. In the coming weeks and months, look for changes among these products as well as a wealth of new initiatives with digital and live events, marketing services and additional game changers.

These are exciting times. We look forward to bringing you the best commercial real estate coverage, events and services the industry has to offer. And we’ll be doing it with a team with a rock solid foundation within the industry.

Lastly, some background on us.

Jonathan A. Schein has more than 25 years experience in the commercial real estate industry. He previously served as CEO of Schein Media and was the founder of Globest.com and Real Share Conferences, and CEO of Real Estate Media. He also serves on the board of the Lincoln Center Real Estate and Construction Council. He is a graduate of George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He is a blogger for huffingtonpost.comon green and sustainable real estate issues.

David Bodamer will oversee the editorial strategy for National Real Estate Investor and Retail Traffic. He previously served as editor-in-chief of Retail Traffic. He has more than 10 years experience covering the commercial real estate industry and is a graduate of the University of Virginia.

Marianne Rivera is publisher of National Real Estate Investor. If you have any questions or comments, don’t hesitate to contact us.